A Pied-billed Grebe and Common Moorhens

Pied-billed Grebe

A Pied-billed Grebe and several Common Moorhens were spotted a few days ago at the lovely Sharon Weichens Preserve in The Villages on Lake Deaton.  The Pied-billed Grebe is a small duck-like water bird that dives for fish, frogs, tadpoles, small turtles and larger aquatic insects.  The little grebe is shy and pretty wary of people, preferring to dive in the middle of freshwater bodies of water such as ponds and lakes.  This grebe has a tan-colored medium-sized bill that has a black wavy stripe along the middle of it.

I enjoy seeing the Common Moorhens here in The Villages.  They are similar to Common Coots but instead of having a white fleshy area over their bill, they have a bright red area.  The hens are a grayish-brown and the drakes are charcoal grey to black sometimes with a slight purple hue.  They are quite similar to Purple Gallinules which are their cousins.  These birds eat aquatic plants, and grasses.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger picture. Enjoy!

The Pied-billed Grebe

An Observation Deck at the Preserve

Male Common Moorhen

 

Hen Common Moorhen

Common Moorhen in Flight

Lake Deaton Scenery Viewed from the Preserve